15 Birth Stories You Won’t Believe

From moms who spent weeks—and even months—in labor to those who gave birth without ever knowing they’d been pregnant; moms who delivered some of the tiniest of babes to those who delivered (naturally!) some of the biggest, we can’t get enough of these unique birth stories.

61-Year-Old Gives Birth to Her Own GrandsonAfter learning she was no longer ovulating, and two failed pregnancies, Sara Connell of Chicago was still determined to have a child. In a truly heartwarming gesture, her own mother Kristine Casey offered to serve as a surrogate for her daughter. At 61, the grandmother passed a battery of tests, and was cleared for postmenopausal birth. When the baby was born, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room.

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12-Year-Old Gives Birth on Field TripAccording to Dutch health services, a 12-year-old girl was on a field trip when she began experiencing severe stomach cramps. An ambulance and emergency services were immediately called to the scene. Upon reaching the girl, they were shocked to discover the girl was on the brink of giving birth. In a nearby building, she was able to give birth and deliver a healthy baby. No one, not even the young mother, had realized she was pregnant.

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23-Year-Old Becomes World's Youngest GrandmotherWhen we think 23, a lot of craziness comes to mind, but “grandma” is not one of them! For Rifca Stanescu, 23, of Romania, grandmother is exactly the word, as her daughter Maria, 11, gave birth to her granddaughter this year. Similarly, grandmother Rifca gave birth at the young age of 12--but says she had wished for more for her daughter. Rifca is said to be the world’s youngest grandmother.

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Mom Finishes Marathon, Gives Birth Hours Later

We know the benefits of exercising while pregnant, but Illinois mom Amber Miller took it to a whole new level in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. With her doctor’s permission, Miller joined 45,000 other runners in the race to the finish line. At 39 weeks pregnant, Miller planned on running the first half of the 26.2-mile race, and then walking the second half with her husband at her side. It was during the last half that her contractions started. After finishing the race and grabbing a bite to eat, the Millers headed to the hospital where Amber gave birth to their baby daughter June.

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Woman Gives Birth After Being Shot and Set on Fire

Upon returning home one night with her baby’s father, a nine-months pregnant woman was bound and abducted from her garage. She was driven around Detroit highways, then shot and lit on fire by her attacker. In order to save her and her baby’s lives, the victim played dead, and was able to roll out the flames. Just a few days later, she gave birth after 12 hours in labor!

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"I Didn't Even Know I Was Pregnant!"On the morning before the Fourth of July, Jennifer West woke up to severe stomach and back pain. What was supposed to be a relaxing vacation with friends and family became a painful and uncomfortable day in bed. As the pain deepened, West’s husband was overwhelmed with concern and persuaded his wife to go to the hospital. It was there in the waiting room that 31-year-old Dan West learned he was going to be a father and fast. Jennifer had still been having monthly periods, and was stunned by the news. However, after a few hours in labor, Robert Hayward West was born healthy, at eight pounds even.

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Woman in Labor Kicked Out of Cab, Delivers Alone on SidewalkAfter hailing a cab, a very pregnant Ana Belis Hernandez realized she was quickly going into labor. With one mention of this, her cab driver quickly booted her from the cab claiming he wanted to avoid “getting blood all over the place.” As Hernandez exited the car, he sped away, leaving her to deliver her baby alone on the sidewalk. Cars drove by but no one stopped to help. Luckily, both mom and baby were escorted to the hospital and deemed healthy.

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Woman Gives Birth Just After Passing Driver's TestTalk about determination. After waiting weeks for a driver’s test, 20-year-old Emily French of Scotland was not going to let labor stand in between her and a driver’s license. When she woke up with labor pains around 4 a.m., French made the decision to wait until after her 8:40 a.m. test to go to the hospital. After taking the test, (with contractions occurring every 10 minutes), she passed and drove to the hospital to give birth!

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Mom Gives Birth after 20 Days in LaborBritish teenager Amy Buck began labor after just 19 weeks. After developing an infection, the mom-to-be was given medication intended to delay labor, but with none such luck. After nearly three weeks of labor pains, she gave birth to a 1 pound, 3 ounce baby boy.

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Woman Endures 75 Days of LaborIf you thought 20 days of labor was long, wait until you read this next story: Joanna Krzysztonek , a mom from Poland, was pregnant with triplets when her labor started preterm. Sadly, one baby was born too early and died shortly after. In an effort to keep her other two children alive, Krzysztonek was instructed by her doctor to put her feet up, literally. Determined to keep her babies in utero for as long as possible, mom had to lay perfectly still for two and half months. After a very long wait, the babies, a boy and a girl, were born healthy. What a trooper!

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3 Sets of Twins Born Half in 2011, Half in 2012We’ve heard of twins born 24 hours apart, but different years seems unbelievable! Minnesota Mom Stephanie Peterson went into labor on Friday, well before her due date. Peterson gave birth at 34 weeks to son Beckett Humenny at 6:40 pm on New Year’s Eve. The following day, she gave birth to daughter Freya, at 12:26 a.m. New Year’s Day. Similarly, New York mom Brighib Rosputni, and Florida mom Jocelyn Bear both gave birth to twins on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

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Mom Gives Birth on Transoceanic FlightOn the way to San Francisco from The Philippines, Aida Alamillo, 41, gave birth to her son on an airplane. While her doctor and Philippines Airlines health personnel had given her the “okay” to fly, the labor pains started approximately five hours before landing back in the U.S. Flight attendants and three on-flight nurses assisted Alamillo with the delivery. The baby was born healthy in under 15 minutes, and paramedics were there to meet them at the gate.

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Utah Mom Gives Birth to Her Third Leap Day BabyA woman from Utah has beaten one-in-a-billion odds: three of her five children have been born on consecutive Leap Days, tying a world record set in the 1960s. The record breaking started when the couple, David and Louise, unintentionally had their first and second children, four years apart, and unintentionally on Leap Day. However, the couple still makes each child’s big day special, with a party and individual cake.

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Iowa Mom Births Huge BabyAfter pushing for six hours without any pain medication, mom Kendall Stewardson gave birth to a 13 pound, 12 ounce baby boy. The 24-year old mom stayed healthy after giving birth to her first child, who weighed in at 12 pounds, 1 ounce at birth. "Apparently my body was made for big babies. We're very blessed," she said in an interview. Her husband sweetly added, "Yep, she's kind of a hero."